


The Start of a Beautiful Friendship

by athersgeo



Category: Chalet School - Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 21:26:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athersgeo/pseuds/athersgeo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The beginning of an enduring partnership...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Start of a Beautiful Friendship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sangerin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangerin/gifts).



> Set in the autumn term between Princess and Head Girl and, probably, ignoring the non-EBD "Visitors for the Chalet School" (on the grounds that I've never read it!)
> 
> No betas were harmed in the writing of this fic. All mistakes are my own. (Or you could always blame EBD!)

The Start of a Beautiful Friendship

The little white painted steamer chugged its way across the sapphire-blue lake. Leaning against the bow rail and looking out over the smooth expanse of water, Hilda couldn't help but feel a thrill of anticipation.

It had been on a whim that she had applied for the post of Senior English Mistress for a girls' school based in Austria. She had certainly never dreamed that she would earn the post, particularly when, on the day of her interview shortly before Easter, she had met some of the other applicants. These were Senior Mistresses. Stern-faced women who could doubtless lecture widely on Shakespeare and Chaucer and Dickens and all points in between, Hilda had felt a positive babe by comparison. But then she'd met Miss Bettany and Mademoiselle La Pâttre and she'd started to look on the role in a different light.

Miss Bettany \- Madge, as she had insisted with some effusion - had explained that, while the school did set a high academic standard for itself, there was a significant emphasis placed on non-academic activities too. There was also the issue of teaching in languages other than English and teaching literature other than English. All in all, it was not a post for a teacher who lacked either a sense of adventure or a flexible nature.

Hilda had left the interview with the deep and abiding feeling that this was the post for her, but even with that she had still harboured doubts about her suitability. It had come as an extremely pleasant surprise when, only two or three days after Easter, she received a letter officially offering her the post. She had written her letter of acceptance with a will that very evening, plunging herself into the teeth of an extremely grand adventure.

As the little steamer putted its way into the landing at Seespitz, Hilda couldn't help but smile. It had been an extremely busy five months. She had taught one final term at her old school, a big high school where she had been a fairly junior English mistress, which had taken her up to the middle of July, leaving her only a precious few weeks to see to all the packing and the purchasing of clothing fit for an alpine winter. There, at least, the Chalet School authorities had been a help. Not long after receiving confirmation of her post, she had received a most comprehensive letter from Mademoiselle, who had, in addition to welcoming her to the school, provided her with a list of suggested garments that would be of use. She had to confess that without that list she might just have found the whole exercise overwhelming.

But, just ten days earlier, everything had been finished and finalised. Hilda had seen her trunk dispatched to begin its journey to Austria and, two days after that, she had begun her own journey. Hers had been a leisurely trek across Europe, with a handful of days in Paris, a few more in Basel and then, most recently, a trio of days in Innsbruck to gain a feel for the Tirol. It had been a relaxing journey, but now, as the steamer made its stately passage towards Briesau, she was ready for the next stage of the adventure. In five days' time, the new term would begin at the Chalet School and she intended to be ready for it.

The steamer finally reached the landing stage at Briesau. Taking hold of her suitcase, Hilda carefully descended to the jetty, offering the crew of the steamer grateful thanks as she did so, and paused to take note of her surroundings.

"Excuse me!"

Hilda looked up at the hail and saw a tall, athletic looking woman her own age approaching. Dressed in a light green frock, as suited the summer temperatures, and wearing a big shady hat in deference to the sun, she cut a striking figure as she strode across the sun-browned turf. "Yes?" she answered.

The other woman thrust out a hand in greeting. "Nell Wilson. Mademoiselle La Pâttre asked me to meet you."

The grip was warm and strong. "Hilda Annersley \- and thank you."

Nell smiled at that, the expression lighting her face which, to this point, had been looking almost preternaturally stern. "My pleasure." She gestured to the suitcase. "Is that all the traps you have?"

"My trunk went in advance so as I could travel light."

"Good scheme," said Nell, offering a hand out for the case. "Come on; let me show you up to the house. Kaffee will be ready in half an hour--"

"And I should very much like a wash and brush up first," Hilda admitted.

That garnered another smile, even as Nell took possession of the suitcase and started back up the path. "Did you have far to travel today?"

"Only from Innsbruck. Not so very far, but sufficient enough to be glad to have arrived."

Nell nodded. "It's certainly not a bad journey at this time of the year. It can be rather more tiresome once the trains stop running from Spärtz."

"I should imagine." Hilda hesitated for a moment. "Have you been here long?"

"A year, just about." Nell gestured with her free hand at the wicket fence they were approaching. "Hardly seems it, though."

"Oh?" Hilda wondered just what her companion could possibly mean. Were her new pupils positive hellions?

In the next moment, as Nell opened a gate in the fence to let them into the school grounds, she was relieved to discover that Nell was smiling again. "I mean nothing bad by that; just that Madame - Mrs Russell as she now is - has taken great care to make this school feel very much like a home away from home."

And though she was smiling still, Hilda thought she could detect a note of sadness permeating Nell's words and she wondered at that.

"Anyway, I'm sure the rest of the staff will explain that when we join them for Kaffee," Nell was continuing. "Let me show you up to your room so's you can have that wash and brush up."

Hilda acquiesced gratefully, allowing herself to be guided across the expanse of playing fields towards the big chalet building that had given the school its name. Once inside, she was whisked up the stairs and directed into a very pretty bedroom.

"All the staff bedrooms are along this corridor," Nell explained. "And the girls know that this corridor is strictly verboten to them except in cases of dire emergency."

Hilda smiled at that, recalling her own school days when such a rule would have been seen as a challenge. She suspected that wasn't the case here. "I see."

"Bathroom is just here," Nell continued, waving a negligent hand in the direction of a door on the opposite side of the corridor. "There is a bathing list, but I'm not sure the new Matron has arranged it yet. As efficient as she is, even she isn't able to be in two places at once!"

Hilda chuckled at that.

"My room is next door that way," Nell added, "while Miss Carthew \- May Carthew \- is your other neighbour. She's our history mistress. Wait a moment--"

And before Hilda could say anything, Nell had set the suitcase down beside the bed and had dived into her own room only to return, a moment later, with a wash kit and towel.

"Save you from having to unpack just yet," she said, offering the items with just the faintest hint of shyness to her actions.

"Thank you." Hilda accepted them with a wide smile and stepped across the corridor to make use of the bathroom.

As she washed up, she considered all that had happened since her landing in Briesau. It was, of course, very early days, but she definitely liked what she had seen of the school and, in particular, the glowing terms that Nell used to describe it. A home away from home. That was certainly something she could do with. Then there was Nell herself. Clearly a reserved woman, but friendly enough, and extremely thoughtful, to judge by the offer of washing things. In that one small act of kindness, she had the sense that Nell was going to prove to be a willing ally and a welcome friend in these new surroundings.

Yes, this was going to be an adventure all right, but, as the rich tones of the gong sounded from somewhere below, it was definitely going to be worth it.

  



End file.
